The present invention is directed to an air outlet structure and system, in which air temperature is controlled by mixing or pulsating control of the air flow and also to control the fan angle and directionality of the air flow vectors.
Fluidic oscillators for causing a sweeping or oscillatory movement of an air jet are well known in the art as is exemplified by the following prior patents: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,099,753, 4,709,622, 4,694,992, 4,672,886 and 3,832,939, and there are many other examples.
In Stauffer U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,392 and Morris et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,398, both owned by the assignee hereof, a flexible vane is oscillated by a moving air stream to impose a sweeping or fanshape to the output air stream.
An object of the present invention is to provide a temperature controller using a fluidic element. A further object of the invention is to provide a low cost temperature controller for issuing air (heated or cooled) into a living space such as a room or into the passenger compartment of a vehicle, such as a passenger car. A further object of the invention is to provide a controllable fluidic element. Still a further object of the invention is to provide a low cost remote control arrangement for controlling the oscillation or non-oscillation of a fluidic element.
In one preferred embodiment of the invention, an island oscillator element of the type disclosed in Stouffer U.S. Pat. No. 4,151,955 (incorporated herein by reference) is rendered non-oscillatory by translation of the island, or by shifting of a portion of the outlet structure relative to the island. In a further preferred embodiment, the oscillation or non-oscillation of an island oscillator is remotely controlled by a valve feeding pressurized air from upstream of the island to a position or point which precludes the formation of shed or Karman vortices and oscillatory action via an externally operable valve elements, respectively.